


Day 3

by ohshanksno



Series: you'll always be my thunder (and my fire) [4]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Character Study, SaboAce Week 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2019-04-24 16:51:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14359608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohshanksno/pseuds/ohshanksno
Summary: then/now





	Day 3

**Author's Note:**

> this is very late i know
> 
> but i got the prompt tho

 “You’re so slow, Sabo.”

“Am not!”

“Are too! See, I reached the tree way before you even _started_ climbing.”

The blond looks up from the brim of his hat, red face and breathing heavy. His arms shake from the stress of climbing a tree barehanded, and he wheezes.

“Sh-shut up and help me!”

Ace makes a face, and leans down on the branch, finger tapping at his chin. “I could. But I think not.”

“Ace! I-I’m serious!”

“I am too.”

Sabo’s eyes close, and he grinds his teeth.

“I’m gonna fall.”

“You’re not even a foot off the ground. You can do this.”

The boy lets out a squeal as he pushes his boots against the bark. Sabo falls backward, landing with a bounce in the dirt. He pouts, and looks up high in the tree, where Ace sits on a branch, legs swinging. He looks amused at Sabo trying to climb a tree, and turns his head to snicker.

“That’s pitiful.”

“I can see why Luffy prefers me to you--hey!”

Another pinecone is thrown at him, and he rolls to the side. “Stop that!”

“You shut up. I’m the older brother.”

Eyes narrow, and he stands up, wiping the dust off his trousers.

“Says the one that has to be saved from drowning.”

“Oi!” the voice booms around the forest, and Ace stands up then. “I’m not the only one that can’t swim!”

“Luffy has an excuse. You don’t.” he turns his head to the side, coughing into his fist. “Baby,” he mumbles under his breath.

“What was that!?”

He turns to look up, smiling. “Nothing~”

The freckled boy goes to say something, pipe raised in his hand, until a loud hoot echoes. They both instantly go still, and the hoot is louder, closer.

“Sab--”

There’s a shout, and it sounds like a name being called.

And when Ace turns behind him to look, he only has enough time to shout something, face turning into an expression of horror. Something collides into his chest, and he nearly stumbles off the branch.

“Ace!” Sabo shouts, and runs under the branch. “Ace? Ace! Say something!”

There’s a flash of green and red and orange, and Ace is shouting.

The shout turns into a shriek, and suddenly, colored feathers float all around Sabo like falling snow, and the tree shakes violently.

“Ace!?”

Sabo’s heart races through his chest as Ace and whatever is up there brawls, and they fall over the branch. His heart goes still, mouth open as they fall in front of him in a cloud of dust with a loud thud.

He’s positive that Ace might be dead.

At first, he doesn’t move. His pulse pounds in his ears, and when the other boy cries out in pain, curling away from it, is when he jumps into action.

“Ace! Ace!” he runs over while the bird claws and screeches at the freckled boy, who’s curled up in a ball, pipe stranded nearby. “Get off him! Shoo! Shoo!” he swings his pipe, hitting the bird repeatedly until it unfurls its wings, and zips away into the tree branches, calling out.

“Ace! Oh my god--” he slides next to the trembling boy, and raises his hands. They shake violently, and he feels tears coming. “ _Ace_ \--”

He mumbles something, and he shifts.

“W-w-what?”

Ace turns his head and silver eyes glance up at Sabo, and he huffs. “Luffy.”

The blond boy only blinks, and stares. And watches when Ace gets up and rolls off a curled-up Luffy, who stretches outwards and smiles when he sees Sabo.

“Sabo! Hi!”

“ _Luffy_?”

“That’s me!”

He purses his lips together, and doesn't breathe.

“Also. Ace, you smell.”

“Not as bad as you.” the rubberboy makes a noise, and Ace smiles, snickering. 

“You...you just got attacked by a Vulture. A Black Vulture.”

Ace shrugs, and picks at his nose. “At least I wasn’t attacked by a leopard with one eye.”

Chocolate eyes glance up at mercury eyes, and he breathes again. “Shut up! I-I slipped!”

He makes a face of disbelief, and Sabo stumbles on his words.

“Right.”

“W-why--you--Luffy _._ ” he turns to the young boy. “What were you doing with a Vulture that big? Did you get eaten?”

“ _Sabo_!”

“Did you?”

Luffy gets up and adjusts his hat that hangs around his neck. “No.”

“What happened, then?” Ace asks, crossing his arms. “I didn’t even think they flock here.”

“You never think, Ace,” Sabo retorts.

“You shut your mouth. I do think!”

“Did you get pecked, though? I hear they got razor-sharp teeth.”

Luffy blinks, and picks at his nose. “No.”

“Well, he got clawed for it, though.” The freckled boy points out the tiny claw marks that littered Luffy’s face and arms.

“Did you look into its eyes? Legends say they can eat your _soul_!” he snarls, fingers curling into fake claws, and he rakes them through the air. His face turns sinister, and he claws again before doing the worst impression of a Black Vulture.

Ace looks at him nervously, and glances at Luffy before looking back at Sabo. “What is with you and these horrid tales?”

The rubberboy shakes his head. “No.”

“Then what happened!?” they ask simultaneously, leaning towards the youngest of the trio.

He looks away for a second, and says with a serious voice: “I farted on it.”

* * *

Ace stares long enough at Sabo, who only smiles back at him.

“You’re a liar and you know it.”

“Now, Ace. I’d _never_ lie to you.” his smile grows bigger, and Luffy pays no attention to them, attempting to shove three chicken legs into his mouth all at once.

“First of all, that's a damn lie. Secondly, Luffy, don’t do that. You’ll choke again, and I’m not gonna rescue you from that.” mercury eyes scan around the crowded restaurant, and waiters and waitresses bustle in and out double doors with steaming food in their hands. “Thirdly, I’m not paying for this.”

“Who said you were going to pay for it?”

Eyes narrow suspiciously, and Ace reaches out for a steak. “Then who is?”

He looks up from the brim of his hat, and chortles. “Apparently, you’ve never witnessed a dine-and-dash, then, newbie.”

Dark brown eyes look over a fresh baked cherry pie, and they glow with excitement. “We’re doing a di--”

“Eat your pie, Luffy, before I eat it for you.” the freckled man reaches for the pie, and a hand quickly slaps his away.

“I’ll bite you,” he hisses, and Sabo snorts, sipping on a glass of coke.

“You can try. But I’ll toss you in the ocean.”

“Amazing how you say that, and I gotta go fetch him because you were being so _irresponsible_. Oh, you wound me, Ace! So irresponsible!”

“Shut up.”

“I’m dying! Stabbed! By my own friend! My love, the light of my life--” he leans his head back, and topples dramatically in his chair. His hand goes to cover his face, and he lets out a noise. “Wounded! Ah, please, no more!”

“What is Sabo doing?”

Ace rolls his eyes and continues eating, reaching forward to the dumplings. “About to either get himself kicked out, or let these dumplings get eaten.”

“What?” The blond’s head shoots up quickly, and he throws himself forward, hand covering the dumplings. “Hey! Don’t touch those! I waited an _hour_ for these things!”

“That's not my problem.” And Ace slaps his hand away.

Luffy stops eating, frozen in place. Sabo’s eyes slowly look into Ace’s, who looks on with sudden confusion.

“Oh, you shouldn’t have done that.”

Ace blinks only once, and suddenly, food flies everywhere, Luffy shouts, and Sabo tackles Ace to the ground. Sabo yells something and the table breaks under his weight. He clatters to the floor, and drags Ace down with him, Luffy holding the pie in his hand, eating peacefully as ever. And they brawl, Ace pulling Sabo's hat over his eyes and rolling away, pushing himself to his feet before Sabo swings his legs and trips Ace, who falls into another table and breaks it. The restaurant goes into a fallout as Sabo gets up, hat flung off somewhere and chases Ace around, bowl of green beans in his hand.

“Eat your greens!”

“No!”

Ace sees a wet spot on the floor and attempts to jump over it, but Luffy who runs perpendicular to him jumps first, and crashes into the freckled man, whose heel slips over the puddle and they slide into the bar, flipping over and crashing into the liquor cabins. Spilled liquor drips over them and glass shatters everywhere, and Sabo stands before them, panting, fork in hand.

“Eat your green beans, you coward.”

Ace grunts, pushing Luffy off of him but fails, Luffy scrambling away himself. They’re trapped under a pile of wood, and Luffy whines.

“I’d rather _die_ than eat those weak things.”

Sabo gives a crooked smirk, and goes to bed down before something cold is pointed in his back. Ace looks up then and Luffy stops moving.

“You’re under arrest, Strawhat Luffy and Portgas D. Ace!”

The blond makes a face, and puckers his lips out before raising his hands. "Looks like the gods are in our favor today. Don't even have to pay for the damages or the food!"

"I want a divorce." Ace says, point-blank.

**Author's Note:**

> and Sabo tries telling them who he is, but they don't believe him
> 
> rip


End file.
